ST. LOUIS – A gun-control advocacy group filed three ballot initiative petitions on Wednesday with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, an effort that could allow several counties to regulate guns within their jurisdictions.
Sensible Missouri has officially filed three petitions. The group says all three versions of the inactive aim to amend the Missouri Constitution through a statewide vote in November 2024.
Some group leaders spoke with FOX 2’s Emily Manley earlier this week on their goals. They plan to conduct polling in the future to see which version is most appealing to voters. All three versions differ in defining which local governments would be granted this authority under the state constitution and how that authority would be adopted into law.
In all versions, the authority would be granted to Kansas City, Jackson County, St. Louis County and St. Louis City. One version would limit the authority to urban areas.
In the two other versions this authority would be granted to all other Missouri counties, either upon passage of an ordinance by the county government or, alternatively, only after approval
by the voters of each county aiming to adopt this authority.
“We realize that one size does not fit all when it comes to guns,” said former St. Louis Circuit Judge Jimmie Edwards. “It’s just common sense for local communities to determine their own destiny.”
“The issues involving guns that confront urban areas like St. Louis and Kansas City are
very different from the issues facing many areas of rural Missouri,” said former State Sen. Joan Bray. “We know Missouri residents understand and respect those differences and believe every local government knows what’s best for its own community.”
“The use of guns for hunting in rural Missouri is very different than the use of guns in
urban areas,” said Rick Rosenfeld, Professor Emeritus in Criminology at the University of
Missouri – St. Louis. “We look forward to public input during the comment period to
help us decide which amendment to pursue.”
Missouri is perceived by some to have some of the laxest gun laws in the country. It is also an open carry state, meaning concealed carry permits are not required to possess a gun.
Edwards, Bray and Rosenfeld are leaders for new nonprofit Sensible Missouri, which recently launched a website over the push for a ballot initiative addressing gun control.